Chicken Coop

A month or so ago, the Andersons gave us one of their chicken coops that they no longer used. I had been looking to build one, but since they had one already made, I gratefully accepted their offer to let us have it. I decided to outfit it with an automatic feeder, so I cut a slot in the side, built a tray on the inside and a box with an angled bottom on the outside. I put a bomb shield over the tray so that when the ladies are roosting they don't turn their tray into a potty. This morning, when I went out to check on the chickens, I found a "bomb" on the shield, so it has already served its purpose.I plan on hinging the lid to the feeder box, but for now, setting the lid on top with a brick to hold it in place will have to do.

There was already a small doorway into the coop, but I had to build a little tunnel to bridge from the run to the coop. I had brainstormed ideas on how to connect the chain link fence to the tunnel but none of the ideas seemed to work. Then, as I was assembling the tunnel, I realized I could drill holes through the sides of the tunnel and use ties to attach the chain link. It isn't the prettiest setup but it works. The girls didn't quite know what to do with the doorway into the coop. It was dusk when I finished, so they had already started to roost outside. I put food in the tray and put each of them through the door. Most of them stayed inside for the night, but two of them decided they wanted to camp outside for the night.
Now the chickens have a dry place to go during the monsoons. We had a big storm hit on Friday that was blowing the rain sideways. The run is covered with tarps but there is nothing to keep sideways rain from going through chain link. The poor girls were huddled in a corner of the run trying to stay dry.

The best part is that I was able to do all this with all used materials. The only thing I had to purchase was caulk backing to seal up the bottom of the feeder box.

Vroom Vroom

I have been driving a little, blue 1994 Geo Metro that I bought from my father for $1 USD. The power train is in good shape its just the rest of the car that is falling apart. This little guy gets 40 - 45 miles per gallon and did I mention it only cost me a dollar. My little brother, Danny, used to drive it when it belonged to my father. Somehow he managed to break the tip of the key off in the ignition. Dad tried to extract the key shard from the tumbler with no luck so he had Craig (remember the he-man trailer wizard from previous post) come over and drill out the tumbler so he could get the thing started. For months Danny started the car by turning a screwdriver in the starter switch that dangled from under the steering column.

I purchased the metro from Dad a few months into the screwdriver era. The starter switch was already stripping from the relentless attack of a screwdriver head that was too small for the slot. I, being the lazy man that I am, left it in this state for many moons. I was comfortable with the functionality and I didn't want to "ruin" a working system.

Once Scott and I started carpooling into Tucson from Mescal for work. The wear and tear on the slot seemed to escalate. I think Scott was trying to sabotage my process. I decided to to buy a new ignition switch. After finding that the least expensive switch to cost me about $150 USD, I decided to do what Red Green of the Possum Lodge would do - Jimmy Rig a new ignition switch.

One thing I would like to bring to your attention at this point is that I have never had a key to this car. The tumblers have been removed from the door locks and I was starting the thing with a screwdriver. I did not want to alter this piece of the system. Not having keys is a very liberating feeling. I never had to carry a copy of the key and I could let anyone borrow the car at any time. I suggest every one should go keyless at sometime in their driving career. Preferably not with a car that holds any kind of value, though.

So, armed with a line tester and a $9 USD universal switch, I set out to "improve" my metro starting experience. With some guidance and words of encouragement from my buddy, Blaine, I test the existing starter switch to see which lines received power in which positions of the switch. All wires but one lit up in some position or another.

I clipped the wires and attached them to the new switch. Scott was under the hood to attach and detach the battery cable for testing. He attached the cable and I turned the ignition switch to run. Lo and behold all the accessories turned on. Then I turned the switch to the start position. The starter engaged and but the engine wouldn't turn over. I thought the one "mystery" wire might be the issue so I decided to attach it to the ignition pin. Scott detached the battery, I attached the wire, then Scott reattached the battery. I turned the switch to the run position and the "mystery" wire started glowing. Then white smoke started billowing from under the dash and filled the car. I tried to remove the key from the switch and exit the car at the same time. This caused Scott to think that I was stuck to the switch (I was holding it in my bare hand). He reached over the door and knocked me backwards to release me from the switch. We opened the windows and doors to let the smoke dissipate. Then I tried rewiring the switch but it was a goner.

Since we live in the boonies there aren't any auto parts stores near by and the ones in Benson all close around 5 PM. Scott and I drove the Yukon into work the next day and stopped by checker to pick up another switch. I didn't want to do that too many times since the Yukon only gets around 16 mpg and we have about a hundred mile round trip in our daily commute.

When we got home that evening, I removed the burnt switch and wired the new one. I had consulted my buddy, Blaine, on what I might have done wrong and he suggested I put all the run position wires on the ignition pin. I did this and still nothing. Then, with the power wire connected and everything else disconnected, I tested the switch with my line tester. The was wired wrong so I called Blaine and he gave me a great idea on how to jimmy rig the setup so that the switch would work and it would be a quasi security mechanism. I am being a little vague here because I do not want to give away the jimmy rig since it is my security system.

Check out the setup in the pic:

So as you can see there is a key involved in the process now but we never remove the key. We have had several people try to figure the new method and no one has been successful. Those who are "authorized" to drive the car know the proper procedure. So if you are one of those lucky ones, keep it to yourselves. If you are not one of those, then you can submit an essay as to why you feel you need/deserve to know and we will review your submission at our next board meeting. You can submit the essay in the comments section of this post. Please remember to keep it brief. I have a short attention span.

I also rigged it so we can open and close the hatch. I was never able to get it open before. Again, the procedure is a little "incognito" so I can't go into too much detail. Who needs a fancy spy car or a bat mobile when you've got this baby to play with.